Rouge et Noir News

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Mane Mane Mane
Young defender joins Rennes, but may be the club's only signing
by Didi Cedat, chief writer

Talented young defender Filippo Calixte Mane became the first, and potentially only, Stade Rennais signing ahead of the new FFO season.
The 19-year-old former Borussia Dortmund youngster has arrived at Roazhon Park as part of a new league initiative.
All FFO clubs were assigned a new young player ahead of the new season, and in Mane, Rennes appear to have picked up one of the better young players that had been available.
Pundits who have seen the Italian defender in action believe that despite his young age he is already capable of slotting comfortably into the Brittany side's first team next season.


Drew Hill welcomes new youngster Filippo Calixte Mane to the Breton club

While some clubs will see the new additions, which need to meet minimum minutes and cannot be sold for two seasons, as an unnecessary nuisance, Rennes manager Drew Hill was buzzing with his new addition:
"I was absolutely delighted when I saw that Mane was the player we would be getting.
"While we were not able to influence the process, of course we did out homework and my scouting team highlight Filippo as one of the top 5 prospects available.
"We've already had a chance to see him in training and we are very impressed with the lad.
"He looks older than 19 and he plays as if he is much older than 19.
"We already work with a small squad of players so, despite not wanting to put too much pressure on his shoulders, I would say that it will be long before Filippo find himself in the first team squad."
Any excitement about the arrival of Mane will have been tempered among the fan base by the radio silence around any other transfer activity for the side who last season struggled to 14th position, albeit in their first season at this level.
The past weeks have seen the Transfer Bonanza where FFO clubs splash their cash to improve their squad and build inevitable anticipation ahead of the new season.
However, for the Rouge et Noir faithful there has not even been the sniff of a rumour of new players which has caused some concern considering the club did not exactly set the league on fire with their performances last season.
When questioned on it, Hill tried to calm any fear among the fanbase: "We might not sign anybody and people should not be worried about that.
"I have seen some clubs make twenty transfers and then when you look at their squad it is hard to see where the improvement has been.
"Or if you rely on older players, you have to try and renew your squad every few seasons to remain competitive.
" That is not out model and while we made a few transfers last season in order to get the squad looking the way I wanted, that is not the plan this season.
"We have to give the players that we have time to develop. We have seen them improve since the start of last season and this season we will see if that translates into better results on the pitch.
"I'm not concerned at all, it is not something I prioritised in this season break, I am trusting the players we already have to produce the goods.
"Any funds which have been available we will put into our youth academy because in the long term this is how a club like ours can develop."

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Danze Academy
Club Legend Signs as Academy Chief
by Didi Cedat, chief writer

Stade Rennais have appointed club legend Romain Danze as manager of its academy program.
The Breton club's all-time leading appearance maker will now oversee the development of the next generation of the Rouge et Noir after signing a four-year contract as Academy Manager.
Manager Drew Hill has made no secret of his and the club's focus on investing in the academy setup, and employing a full-time academy manager is another step along that road.


Romain Danze (Right) welcomed back to the club new manager Drew Hill

Hill said: "This is one of the most important signings we could make.
"This club goes nowhere without a productive academy so it was an easy decision to employ somebody full time.
"When it comes to knowing what it takes to make it as a player at this club, who better than Romain.
"He stepped onto the pitch more than 350 times in a Rennes shirt, so there could be few people better for this job".
As well bringing Danze back to Roazhon Park, two new players have been added to the academy squad for the upcoming season.
At a cost of £16m, the additions did not come cheaply, but Danze himself explained that it will be money well spent.
"When I arrived here last week, there were only seven players in the academy program here and this is not enough.
"I called some of my contacts in the youth game in Brittany and there were two players which almost unanimously came up in discussions.
"In order to be able to sign more players inevitably there are extra costs involved, £16m in this case.
"Not just my salary but player wages, coaches, travel, equipment and training facilities to be able to cater for a World-class academy program.
"Our plan is to add two contracted players to the academy every season and my vision is to also have full time scouts identifying potential players in the meantime.
"So we can expect the academy program to use up significant amounts of the club's operating budget for years to come.
"With this I am confident that we can fulfil the full potential from these academy players, and when we do that will seem like small money.
"We do not have the financial muscle to buy a championship squad and there is no mechanism to scout cheap continental players and eventually sell them for big money.
"The only development option we have is to try and bring world class players through the academy that can take us up the leagues.
"The financial mistake would be not spending money on the academy."
The two new academy graduates have not yet been named by the club but will be added to the club's academy squad in the next few weeks ahead of the new season.
In addition to the academy acquisitions, Rennes have also employed new faces in the coaching. administration and media departments in an effort to improve both on and off the pitch this season.

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Captain Fantastic
Geoffrey Lembet continues as Rennes captain
by Didi Cedat, chief writer

Geoffrey Lembet will continue in his role as Stade Rennais captain for the upcoming FFO season.
The Breton club's fortunes improved last season after the 35-year-old goalkeeper was made captain midway through the season.
Manager Drew Hill will be hoping that connection continues into the new campaign.


Geoffrey Lembet became club captain at the half way stage of last season

Hill said: "Geoffrey was quite an obvious choice given what happened last season.
"We made a poor start to the season and it was the decision to give the armband to him mid-season which seemed to improve results.
"Geoffrey's individual performances improved noticeably and when you have a keeper on form it gives confidence to the rest of the team".
It represents quite a turnaround for the 35-year-old goalkeeper from the Central African Republic.
The experienced stopper was a confirmation email away from leaving the club shortly after Hill's arrival after a string of poor performances.
At the last moment, Hill had a change of heart, handed Lembet the captain's armband and the rest is history.
Lembet proved himself as one of the better keepers in the division and help Rennes improve their previously dismal league position and claim a 14th placed finish.
Hill added: "It's funny how things work out. I won't deny that at one stage I looked to sell him on.
"Geoffrey made it clear to me that he did not want to leave the club and after talking with Geoff (assistant coach Geoff Horsfield) we thought maybe making him captain would be a good step.
"It worked out well and we can only hope for more of the same this season.
"We have a very young squad and Geoffrey is only of only two regular starters over the age of 30.
"Young players need those experienced voices on the pitch to bring the best out of them.
"I am confident this will be a positive step."
Lembet is expected to remain the first choice goalkeeper at Rennes for the next couple of seasons.
Backup goalkeeper Mark Travers, despite a decent loan spell last season at Portsmouth, is not thought to be ready to oust the experienced African from the team.
There is a highly regarded goalkeeping prospect in the academy, but it should be two or three seasons before he is ready for first team action.

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Warm Welcome
Rennes squad travels to Egypt for warm weather training
by Didi Cedat, chief writer

Stade Rennais players returned to training last week and this week have flown to Egypt for a period of intense warm-weather training.
The squad, including new signing Filippo Mane, took part in a morning training session on Thursday at their Breton base before heading directly to Cairo.


Rennes players explore the sights of Cairo before heading to their intense training camp

After a short stay in the Egyptian capital the players headed to a newly-developed training complex in the coastal resort of Hurghada.
Players will spend a short period of time there, which will include a period of intense training followed by a behind-closed-doors friendly against another European club.
Many clubs in recent years have sought the advantage of training in warmer climates to prepare for the demands of a demanding European football campaign.
Manager Drew Hill was looking forward to the trip, and claims that it will not be a holiday.
"We are not coming here for a holiday, I would expect that the players have just had a well-deserved one.
"This is where the work starts and we will be putting together a demanding training schedule for the players.


Drew Hill busy preparing a 'demanding training schedule' for his players

"Due to the hot conditions they will have to work harder and that will bring cardio improvements which should give us an advantage in the early stages of the season.
"We don't want a repeat of last year where we made a terrible start to the season and went a long time without a win.
"I want the players to start with a flourish this season and this is part of the plan".
Last season Drew Hill's Rennes side looked woefully underprepared as they plummeted to the bottom of the table in the early stages of the season following a strong of defeats.
While the Welsh manager can claim not to be responsible having joined the club shortly before the first match of the season, he is still keen to learn from the negative experience of the previous campaign.

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Green Light in Amsterdam
Green Light, not Red Lights, in the Dutch capital as the new FFO season begins for Rennes
by Didi Cedat, chief writer

The new season of FFO finally gets under way with Stade Rennais beginning their campaign with a trip to Amsterdam to face Ajax.
The Frenchmen will be looking to make a good start to the season, after a disappointing beginning last time out.
Drew Hill's young squad travel in good spirits after enjoying a pre-season training camp in Egypt before a period of intense pre-season work to prepare for this game.


Rennes players explore the traditional sights of Netherlands, ahead of their crucial season opener against Ajax Amsterdam

Hill, whose main home base is just a few kilometres north of the Dutch capital, is hoping for a flying start.
"You cannot underestimate how important it is to get a good start to the season. He said.
"We need to get at least a win in the first week of the season, just to get that monkey off our backs and push on from there.
"Last season we made a terrible start and it started playing on the minds of the players. Criticism comes and some of the lads start to believe what was being written about them.
"We have worked hard in pre-season and we want to avoid that kind of start.
"If we can come to Amsterdam and get a result straight away, Confidence will really start to build then".


Drew Hill is confident his players are all pedalling in the right direction this season

If Hill's side are to start the season better than last, it will have to be done with largely the same group of players that ended last season.
Only one addition has been made the to squad, the arrival of young defender Filippo Mane to the ranks.
Some fans have been critical of the club's inaction in the transfer market, but Hill was upbeat.
"I believe in this group of players." Hill said.
"They are young lads and they need time to improve their game and then you will see the results on the pitch.
"Most of the players have already improved since this time last season and I expect that to be demonstrated on the pitch when we get going.
"We may have only one new player but he is a player who we would have spent big money on had he been available on the free market.
"There is reason to be optimistic about what this group can achieve."
Mane is expected to move straight into the Stade Rennais starting line up for the game against Ajax after impressing in a pre-season game against Egyptian club FC Zamalek.

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Bright Stars Shining
Gouri and Mane the highlights of middle of the road Rennes campaign.
by Didi Cedat, Chief Football Writer

Rennes manager Drew Hill has hailed the recent performances of striker Amine Gouiri and defender Fillipo Mane.
The Algerian-born French striker has struck 11 goals so far this season for the Red and Blacks and is by far and away the club's leading scorer.
Meanwhile rookie Mane is leading the club on most performance measures and has established himself as one of the first names on the Rennes teamsheet.
Gouri's performances, particularly in the last couple of weeks have dragged the French side away from the lower reaches of the table.
Gouiri netted five times in three games to begin an unbeaten run of four games for Rennes.


Amine Gouiri is on a hot run of form so far this season for mid-table Rennes

Hill said: "We have to talk about Gouiri, he is our shining light at the moment.
"We haven't made the best of starts and after a defeat to Shaktar we were rooted down at the bottom of the table.
"His performances after then have been pretty special and his goals have been vital."
Gouri scored twice against Benfica in round 11 as the Breton side played out an entertaining 5-3 victory and was on target again a few days later in a 2-0 home win against RB Salzburg.
"We were in big trouble at that stage but his goals were a big part in turning our form around.
"I have to admit that there were stages last season were I was pretty disappointed with his form.
"We worked a lot with him in training and I am pleased to see him kick on this season and show what he is capable of".
Gouiri's 11 goals see him as the club's top scorer but there is obvious concern that the next highest scorer is reserve striker Joaquin Correa.
Arnaud Kalimuendo was one of the stars of last season but has so far only scored twice, despite having 47 attempts at goal.
Understandably this has lead to calls for the 22-year-old striker to be dropped in favour of the more experienced and in-form Correa but for now Hill plans to keep faith with the misfiring Kalimuendo.
"Arnaud's form is a concern and it is right that you bring it up. We are working on it.
"He performed really well last season, so we know what he is capable of.
"He has lost some confidence along the way and we need to help him get that back.
"I understand the calls to drop him and give Correa more game time and that is an option.
"For now, I will keep faith with him because I am excited about what we could achieve if Arnaud and Amine are both in-form at the same time."
One of the players who has currently scored as many goals as Kalimuendo is new youth signing defender Mane who is enjoying an incredible breakthrough season for the French club.
The 19-year old Italian leads the club statics in tackles and impressively also contributes a number of key passes comparable with all of the club's midifield players.
He has also chipped in with 2 goals and Hill could not be more delighted with his initial progress.
"I am delighted with the lad" Hill said.
"It was always my plan to give him plenty of minutes to develop his game but I didn't imagine his progress would be this fast.
"He has already developed to the point where he is in the starting line up absolutely on merit because of what he gives to the team.
"This is what we are about at the moment, giving these young players a chance to develop and Pip (Mane) is really taking the chance that has been offered to him."
Club sources suggest that Mane has already seen his wages increase since the start of the season and that the club fully expect a battle to keep him at the club in a couple of seasons if his development continues at the current rate.

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Press-ing Matter
Drew Hill in hot water due to lack of Media
by Didi Cedat, Chief Football Writer

Stade Rennais are rumoured to be increasingly impatient with manager Drew Hill's lack of media involvement.
The Welshman, who is into his second season in charge of the Rouge et Noir, has angered club officials by regularly not giving his post match reactions and for not organising regular media days or cultivating good relationships with local media.
Clubs like Rennes are reliant on the income which can be generated from media exposure to meet monthly running costs.
Despite an opening to the season with plenty of talking points, the manager has not made himself available to the press to discuss hot topics.


Reporters are kept waiting for post match reactions from Hill

Hill has not given a post match reaction all season long or sent a member of coaching staff to react on his behalf.
As a result the coverage of the club over recent weeks has become increasingly negative, not helped by some disappointing performances on the pitch which the manager has not taken the time to defend.
Club sources suggest that the patience of club bosses has run out and that Hill has been forcefully reminded of his media duties.
Hill was not available to comment on whether such showdown talks had taken place but the club has assured that the media can expect more post match reactions from the Rennes manager in the coming weeks.

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Guess who's back?
Drew Hill's surprising return as Rennes manager
by Didi Cedat, chief football writer


Drew Hill has reappeared in charge of Stade Rennais in a surprise move one month after disappearing from club duties.
The French club has cited 'personal reasons' for the manager's absence at the time and refused to comment further on the matter.
That was until last week, when the club announced that Hill had 'returned to managerial duties with immediate effect' as preparations begin for a new FFO season.


Hill returns to the managerial hotseat at Rennes for another FFO EFL2 campaign

Assisstant manager Geoff Horsfield had stepped in as interim manager as the French side limped to another mid-table finish at the end of last season.
Both Horsfield and academy manager Romain Danze will remain in their roles and will once again work under Hill now that he has returned to duties. Hill was seen back at the Rennes' training ground this week and involved with the training sessions.
Many fans, and pundits, felt that Hill's absence was the reason that Rennes failed to make a late run into the EFL2 playoffs after a promising run of form in the middle of the season.
Speculation will of course continue over the reason for Hill's month-long absence from the club and the man himself offered little insight.
In a statement released by the club, Hill said: "It is my pleasure to return to managerial duties at this great football club.
"I know there will be many questions about where i have been over the past few weeks and why I was not in the dug out for the last matches of the season.
"There were reasons which I will not go into at this time but I have a great team of support staff and I knew that they would do a fine job of running things in my absence and they have done just that.
"I am coming back to the job refreshed and already excited about the job ahead in the coming years.
"Most importantly, I am looking forward to seeing you all again around the city and of course, supporting our team on matchdays".


One young fan was happy to see Hill return to the club

In the same official statement the club said: "We are delighted to announce that our manager Drew Hill will return to managerial duties with immediate effect.
"After taking a small sabbatical we are pleased that Hill is now ready to return to his role."

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The Future is Now
First four prospects promoted from Rennes' academy
by Didi Cedat, chief football writer

Stade Rennais confirmed their youthful ambitions for the coming season by promoting four players from the academy setup into the first team.
The first cohort of the so-called "Danze Academy", overseen by club legend and academy manager Romain Danze, includes talent from all over the pitch with one defender, two midfielders and a striker joining up with the first team squad.
Many eyes will be on the progress of Mickael Ciani, John Obi Mikel, Marek Hamsik and Shaun Wright-Phillips all of whom have been training with the first team for the past couple of weeks since signing their professional contracts.


Hill discusses tactics with his four new young talents during a training session last week.

It remains to be seen whether the players will be seen as part of the starting lineup or just in the squad to make up the numbers.
Manager Drew Hill certainly seems to be planning to give the new players a fair chance to make an impression:
"I am delighted to welcome these lads into the first team and I am very excited to see what they can do.
"All of them have impressed in the academy and Romain has given them his seal of approval. I trust his opinion and cannot wait to see them in action.
"We have commited to our youth academy as part of the long term development plans for this club.
"This is the first step in realising that plan and in my opinion we have to be fully commited.
"It's all-or-nothing and that means giving these lads as much game time as possible or the whole project would be a waste of time."

The hottest prospect, according to scouts and pundits, is Nigerian defensive-midfielder John-Obi Mikel who looks more than capable of slotting straight into a Rennes midfield which has been weakened by end-of-season departures and could be further hit by the possible departure of veteran midfielder Nemanja Matic.
Should Matic indeed leave the club then expect the second midfield prospect Marek Hamsik, with his distinctive mohawk hairstyle, to be asked to step up as a back up from a very early stage in the season.
Striker Shaun Wright-Phillips steps into a very obvious gap in the Rennes squad which currently only has Arnaud Kalimuendo and goal-machine Amine Gouiri to call upon in the striking department. There is sure to be immediate pressure on the young English forward to hit the ground running.
The last of the cohort is French defender Mickael Ciani. Considered by many as the weakest of the quartet and was widely expected to remain in the academy setup for at least one more year before being called up to the main squad. The frenchman seems unlikely to play a major role this season beyond filling in during an injury crisis.

Academy manager Romain Danze now has the challenge of trying to replace the talent which has left his academy. He is thought to be close to securing two new 17-year-old prospects on academy contracts and is known to be in talks with the club hierarchy about employing a new academy coach. This appointment would allow development of young players to continue after the end of the season and should improve the quality of players produced by the academy over a three-year period.

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News in Brief

Edmonds-Green joins Newcastle United for £11m

Rennes defender Rarmani Edmonds-Green has signed for Newcastle United in the first transfer business of the season.
Green travelled for a medical after the clubs rubber stamped an £11m deal as the transfer bonanza opened.
The dependable back-up defender was thought to be home sick after almost two years with the Breton club and manger Drew Hill accepted an offer from the Magpies for the unhappy player.


Edmonds-Green will play in the Premier League next season after signing for Newcastle United.

Green looked set to feature regularly for Rennes this season but instead will be turning out in the Premier League for his new club.
Manager Drew Hill was full of praise for the young English defender:
"Rarmarni has been the ultimate professional in his time here at Rennes.
"He trains well and is always a happy face around the club and loves engaging with the fans.
"We could definitely have used him this season but the lad came to me and told me that he was looking for a move back to his homeland.
"I tried to persuade him that life in Rennes is much better than a life in Newcastle but the lure of the Premier League was a big factor as well.
"I wish him well with his new club and he knows he would be very welcome back here if things don't work out or if he is missing regular portions of Bretagne Gateau".
Edmonds-Green posted on his Instagram account to thank the fans of Stade Rennais.
He said: "Fans, What can I say? I have enjoyed my time here in Rennes and am very thankful for the support I received from you.
"It is with a heavy heart that I leave this club and I know that I will be back one day.
"Maybe we will sit in the stadium together one day. Cheering on the Rouge et Noir.
"A Bientot"

Roazhon Park Stadium Upgrade Announced

Roazhon Park is set to be expanded ahead of the new season as the club seeks to improve its income streams.
Rennes' stadium currently holds 35,000 spectators making it one of the smallest stadiums in the division and putting a contstant strain on club finances.
When the new season kicks off as many as 45,000 Red and Black supporters could come through the turnstiles which would be a boost to ticket sales income.
Last season the club found itself in debt towards the end of the season and increasing the capacity was a necessary step to avoid a repeat situation.


Drew Hill looking forward to welcoming 10,000 new supporters to the stadium next season

Manager Drew Hill said: "Obviously I am very happy with this news and look forward to being able to welcome more fans on matchdays to cheer on the team.
"This decision was already made during last season, it became evident that the income from a 35,000 seater stadium was not enough to balance the books of the club.
"This season we will expand the stadium and at the same time try to reduce the wage bill. These are the only things we can do to try and keep our finances looking healthy."
Work will begin immediately on the stadium upgrade and remarkably the new capacity will be available for the first home game of the season.

Academy Coach Unlikely This Season

Rennes manager Drew Hill appeared to rule out signing a new coach for the Rennes academy before next season at the earliest.
In a press conference to annouce the expansion of Rennes' stadium, Hill added that unless something changes drastically in the coming weeks there will be no coach added to the academy setup this season.
Hill said: "We have commited to expanding the stadium and we plan to add two more players on academy contracts. After that there will be no funds left for a coach.
"We would have to pay £20m for a coach on a three year contract and that is money we do not have at this moment in time.
"I spoke with Romain (Danze) about this and we were ready to sell a player in order to fund a coach but when you look at the transfer market right now that is too big a risk.
"What would happen is that we sell one of our main players and then would not be able to replace that spot in our squad.
"It is almost impossible to find squad players in the current market, so much so that when they become available they can fetch prices higher than we are offered for our first team players.
"Something does need to be done about that. A plentiful supply of cheap squad players with low wages would make things much more manageable.
"Until something is done about that I don't think there will be any academy coaches arriving in Rennes anytime soon."

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Making up the Numbers
Three new signings join the Rouge et Noir
by Didi Cedat, chief football writer

Rennes manager Drew Hill made moves at the cheaper end of the transfer market with a triple signing to bring his squad up to the required numbers.
The arrivals of Frederik Winther, Filippo Ranocchia and Stephen Wearne bring the Breton side's squad numbers over the magic required figure.


New signings (L to R) Frederik WInther, Stephen Wearne and Filippo Rannochia are introduced to the French media

FFO FA requires all clubs to have a minimum of 23 players in their squad with these three signings actually brining Rennes to a figure of 24.
However, Fraser Horsfall's imminent departure would see the Rouge et Noir settle at the required amount of players.
Manager Drew Hill explained he was delighted to secure these signings given the difficulties of identifying players in the current market.
Hill said: "I am delighted because there were some moments when I didn't think we would be able to find enough players this season.
"We started the season with only 18 players so we knew that we had to end the transfer window dealings with a surplus of 5 players.
"That is much easier said than done in this market where squad players demand a ridiculous premium from existing managers.
The last affordable option for the club, and all other FFO clubs, to beef up their squad is a random selection of players from the European market who are ready to play in the FFO.
Rennes hit this option hard with the signing of Danish defender Winther from Swedish side Hammarby, Italian midfielder Ranocchia from Palermo and English striker Wearne from MK Dons.
These options did not come cheap. Winther setting back the club 15m while Rannochia cost 8.5m and Wearne 5.5m. A total spend of 28,5m.
Hill added: "We spent a bit more than we really wanted to be spending but that was because we wanted to keep with our club philosophy of using young players.
"All three players are just 22 years old and that will maintain the low average age of this year's squad. I would imagine that we are one of the most youthful squads out there.
"Given a choice we would have spent this money elsewhere but we have to live by the regulations and there is a sadly limited supply of players in the FFO universe".
While the signings were more of neccesity than anything else, Hill was particularly pleased with the arrival of young Danish defender Winther who it seems likely will feature heavily this season.
"Frederik is certainly the stand out. We went into this process looking for players who could fill places on the bench or on the training field but Winther is more than that.
"He is young and already at a level where he can challenge for a place in the starting lineup, especially if we end up losing a player like Fraser (Horsfall).
"Geoff (Horsfield) and I watched a few videos of what the lad can do and we were quite excited. We called his agent very quickly and secured his services.
"I expect he will feature heavily this season. We already agreed to his demands for a minimum of 1000 minutes this season."
The other two signings are widely expected to get their limited minutes from the Rennes bench this season after struggling to make impacts at their previous clubs.
Midfield prospect Rannochia was a highly regarded youngster for Palermo but his development has stalled recently while Wearne's goalscoring has never caught the eye of many beyond the small amount of people with the misfortune to watch the franchise football club week in week out.
Hill stopped short of saying that they are only signed to make up the numbers but was fooling nobody.
"Rannochia in particular was very highly regarded just a couple of years ago. We have to hope that we can realise some of that potential when he comes here and works with our fine coaching staff.
"As for Wearne, when I rejoined we only had two strikers in this squad so it was a key area where we needed options.
"I am happy that these lads have signed for us, and look forward to working with them".
The three new signings have already begun training with their new side and will travel with the squad as they once again head to a pre-season training camp in Egypt in the coming weeks.

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Look to the Future Now
New faces added to the Stade Rennais "Danze Academy"
by Didi Cedat, chief football writer

Stade Rennais have confirmed the addition of two new prospects to the academy program.
As expected, the Breton side bolstered their youth ranks after an impressive four graduates were given first team contracts in the off season.
That left only five aspring players in Romain Danze's academy group and it was widely expected that more names would be added.
Danze has secured the signing of promising French defender Bixente Lizarazu and a young Croatian striker called Mario Mandzukic,
The two 17-year-olds have already taken up residence in the club's Academy accommodation and begun their respective training and development programs.


New academy arrivals Bixente Lizarazu (R) and Mario Mandzukic (C) ready to get involved with a training session

Academy manager Danze was pleased with the new arrivals:
Danze said: "I am very happy that we have added these two lads to the academy program."
"As Academy Manager I am always concerned, first whether we will be given the budget and then whether we can attract the right players.
"When we had the budget these were two of the top players on the list so we are happy that they chose to learn their trade in our academy.
"Mario in particular took a big step coming here as a teenager from his home in Croatia but we are, of course, confident that he and Bixente have made the right choice".
While the two new faces are welcomed by Danze, the deadline has now passed with no youth coach being added to his academy.
The club legend and record appearance holder was rumoured to be fuming at the refusal from club officials to commit budget to a new member of his coaching team.
Danze was not keen to address the subject adding: "I would have liked a coach, I need a coach but there is no budget for that. I don't really want to say any more about it".
In the off season Michael Ciani, John Obi-Mikel, Marek Hamsik and Shaun Wright-Phillips all graduated from the Rennes academy into the first team squad.
Next season three more players will become eligible for first team contracts but Danze hinted that it is unlikely that a similar number will be promoted at the end of this season.
"To be honest I would have rather held onto those four lads for one more year in the academy program, but we needed numbers in the first team squad." Danze said.
"This year I am trusting the first team coaches to keep hold of the players we have so that we don't need to use the academy as a sticking plaster.
"I don't want to promote any guys for another two years because I feel they develop better here in the academy. Especially if I can one day get a youth coach here".

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[bighill]

It's a No from Me
Drew Hill rules Rennes out of the promotion picture
by Didi Cedat, chief football writer

Stade Rennais' manager Drew Hill appeared to rule his side out of the promotion picture in an interview with the club's official media channel.
The Breton side flirted with the promotion playoffs at one stage last season following a run of hot form and have managed to keep hold of top talent Amine Giouri, one of the league's top goalscorers.
This had led some of the more optimistic pundits and fans to claim Hill's side were ready for a crack at promotion to EFL1.
Optimism was further fuelled by a 3-0 pre-season victory over Egyptian side Zamalek including a goal for academy graduate Shaun Wright-Phillips.


Shaun Wright-Phillips celebrates his first goal for Rennes in a pre-season friendly in Egypt against Zamalek

Hill, however, claimed that this is not the immediate target for him or his players.
"I don't see promotion as a target, certainly not for this season.
"We are a proud club and of course we want to win football matches but we have to be realistic.
"There are a lot of good clubs in this division, and I would expect the top two places to be quite predictable. That leaves 20 or so clubs fighting for one more promotion place.
"Last season there was not much difference between 6th place and 16th, so it is a very competitive competition.
"We have made a choice to focus on youth development and the consequence of that is that young players are likely to make more mistakes.
"That will cost us points and in a league as tight as this I would expect that for this season at least we are likely to miss out on the promotion places."
"Making promotion our target would put extra pressure on our young players and we want to avoid that".
Hill did go on to offer hope for those optimistic fans who were already dreaming of their club competing in EFL1.
"Just because it is not the target doesn't mean that we cannot dream." he added.
"There would be no point in us taking to the pitch and just expecting to bob about in the bottom half of the table.
"We will go out for every game playing for victory and in this tight league, with a bit of good fortune we have to believe it can happen.
"There are good players at this club and if we get the rub of the green there is no reason why we couldn't sneak into the promotion picture this season".
Hill's lack of optimism appeared to be backed up by a recent study of club value and wealth which ranked Rennes near the bottom of the list, the lowest ranked of all European clubs.
The report described the club as "the lowest on the wealth list in the European section" and ranked the squad as one of the lowest quality in FFO.
Hill responded to the report when asked about it, caliing it a "fair assessment".
"I don't have any reason to disagree with the assessment, it was a well put together summary of all clubs and it is clear to see that we are currently one of clubs that should have lower expectations for the season.
"We should note that our academy program was commented on favourably and we hope to be able to benefit in a few years time and see the club move higher up the rankings.
"While it was a good report we should remember that as was once famously said, football is played on grass not on paper".
One positive from the report was that independent financial analysts have predicted an operating profit of around £5m for the club throughout the season.
After a season where the club had run at a considerable loss this will be seen as a positive development and vindication of the decisions made during the off-season, notably a 10,000 expansion to the Roazhon Park stadium.



They Sphinx it's all over
Pre season victory for Rennes in Egypt

Rennes' preparations for the new season continued with a 3-0 pre season friendly win over Egyptian giants Zamalek.
In Giza with the famous Sphinx and Pyramids in the background, Drew Hill's side rounded off a period of warm weather training with a comfortable win over the hosts.



Amine Gouiri looked in fine form grabbing the first two goals in the opening half an hour and victory was rounded off by academy graduate Shaun Wright-Phillips with his first goal in senior colours.
All four of the club's academy graduates started the match in a clear sign that Hill is planning to use the players regularly throughout the upcoming season.
There was no place in the matchday squad for defender Fraser Horsfall who is widely expected to leave the club before the start of the season after rumours of a rift with manager Drew Hill.

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